Director/Senior Director, Fintech Business Development

Sage; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salaries

Health coverage

401(k) retirement match

Paid time off

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Wellness program

Career development resources

Job summary

Sage in North America is seeking a Director/Senior Director of Fintech Business Development to identify, negotiate, and execute strategic partnerships that advance Sage’s fintech initiatives. You will help evolve Sage’s fintech portfolio from standalone solutions into an integrated financial operating platform.

You will collaborate with Product, Growth, Legal, Finance and regional leadership to shape build/buy/partner decisions, manage executive relationships, and drive revenue through strategic

Qualifications

• 10+ years' experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or alliances within the payments, fintech, or financial services technology industry.
• Direct experience working for a payment provider or fintech organization, with a strong understanding of industry economics, market dynamics, competitive positioning, and key industry participants.
• Established relationships and credibility within the fintech ecosystem, including experience engaging with payment providers, technology partners, and other strategic industry stakeholders.
• Proven track record of developing, negotiating, and executing complex strategic partnerships that deliver measurable commercial and revenue outcomes.
• Strong strategic and commercial acumen, with the ability to identify market opportunities, assess partnership potential, and translate business strategy into actionable plans.
• Demonstrated executive presence and the ability to build credibility, influence, and effectively engage with C-suite leaders and senior-level external partners.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to navigate complex business discussions and lead cross-functional initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the fintech partner strategy – partner with Product and Growth leaders to shape the strategy within Sage’s build, buy, and partner framework.
• Prioritize the partnership roadmap – translate customer needs, product gaps, market developments, and Sage’s growth priorities into a clear, prioritised roadmap.
• Assess partners rigorously – evaluate prospective partners against strategic fit, customer value, product readiness, commercial potential, scalability, and long-term differentiation, constructively challenging internal assumptions.
• Manage a balanced portfolio – concentrate investment on high-potential strategic relationships while ensuring appropriate management of the broader partner base.
• Lead executive-level engagement – with fintech companies, financial institutions, payment providers, card schemes, and technology platforms across the market.
• Originate and execute complex opportunities – drive strategic partnership deals from concept through signature, building trusted relationships with senior decision-makers.
• Represent Sage externally – at industry events, partner forums, and executive meetings, positioning Sage as a partner of choice.
• Advance the preferred-partner pipeline – progress priority payments and Banking-as-a-Service relationships that embed payments and banking directly into Sage’s ERPs.

Skills

Executive presence

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

The Director/Senior Director of Fintech Business Development will play a key role on Sage’s Fintech Business Development team. The Director/Senior Director is accountable for identifying, structuring, negotiating, and executing the strategic partnerships that advance Sage’s product and growth ambitions. Working closely with Product, Product Marketing, Growth, Legal, Finance, and regional commercial leadership, the role helps determine where Sage should build, buy, or partner to deliver differentiated fintech capabilities.

The role is central to Sage’s ambition to evolve its fintech portfolio from a collection of point solutions into an integrated financial operating platform – spanning payments, banking connectivity, AP/AR automation, cash management, lending, payroll payments, expense management, e-invoicing, and related financial workflows. It is a growth-leadership position that converts fintech from a portfolio of partnerships into a strategic growth engine.

This is a Hybrid role based in one of our North American offices 3 days per week.

Fintech Partner Strategy

• Define and execute the fintech partner strategy – partner with Product and Growth leaders to shape the strategy within Sage’s build, buy, and partner framework.
• Prioritize the partnership roadmap – translate customer needs, product gaps, market developments, and Sage’s growth priorities into a clear, prioritised roadmap.
• Assess partners rigorously – evaluate prospective partners against strategic fit, customer value, product readiness, commercial potential, scalability, and long-term differentiation, constructively challenging internal assumptions.
• Manage a balanced portfolio – concentrate investment on high-potential strategic relationships while ensuring appropriate management of the broader partner base.

Strategic Business Development

• Lead executive-level engagement – with fintech companies, financial institutions, payment providers, card schemes, and technology platforms across the market.
• Originate and execute complex opportunities – drive strategic partnership deals from concept through signature, building trusted relationships with senior decision-makers.
• Represent Sage externally – at industry events, partner forums, and executive meetings, positioning Sage as a partner of choice.
• Advance the preferred-partner pipeline – progress priority payments and Banking-as-a-Service relationships that embed payments and banking directly into Sage’s ERPs.

Commercial Contracting & Deal Structuring

• Lead commercial negotiations – structure and negotiate payments, BaaS, referral, reseller, embedded, and card-scheme agreements with sound deal principles and scalable economics.
• Develop commercial models – build business cases, revenue-share/basis-point structures, ARR minimums, and incentive frameworks that maximize value to Sage.
• Ensure commercial integrity – partner with Legal, Finance, Product, and Operations to ensure consistency, appropriate revenue recognition, and governance across regions.

Cross-Functional Alignment & GTM Enablement

• Drive build/buy/partner decisions – orchestrate Product, PMM, Growth, and Finance through the fintech operating model from need identification to launch.
• Ensure launch and adoption readiness – work with Growth, Enablement, and regional overlay teams so signed contracts translate into enabled sellers, customer adoption, and consumption – not papered but unused solutions.
• Support seamless commerce framing – help reposition fintech around integrated value propositions rather than standalone point solutions to unlock value-based pricing and differentiation.

Partner Performance – Target Setting & Reporting

• Own opportunity sizing and targets – set annual fintech opportunity budgets and partner-level targets, aligned to franchise and regional revenue plans.
• Track and report performance – monitor partner performance against target (ARR, transactional upside, adoption, basis-point uplift), reporting variances and forecasts to leadership.
• Course-correct – run structured business reviews with partners and internal stakeholders, recommending investment, acceleration, or corrective action to protect revenue.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years' experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or alliances within the payments, fintech, or financial services technology industry.
• Direct experience working for a payment provider or fintech organization, with a strong understanding of industry economics, market dynamics, competitive positioning, and key industry participants.
• Established relationships and credibility within the fintech ecosystem, including experience engaging with payment providers, technology partners, and other strategic industry stakeholders.
• Proven track record of developing, negotiating, and executing complex strategic partnerships that deliver measurable commercial and revenue outcomes.
• Strong strategic and commercial acumen, with the ability to identify market opportunities, assess partnership potential, and translate business strategy into actionable plans.
• Demonstrated executive presence and the ability to build credibility, influence, and effectively engage with C-suite leaders and senior-level external partners.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to navigate complex business discussions and lead cross-functional initiatives.

Perks?

• Competitive salaries that landed us top 5% of similar sized companies (according to Comparably)
• Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement match (100% matching up to 4%)
• 32 days paid time off (21 personal days, 10 national holidays, 1 floating holiday)
• 18 weeks paid parental leave for birth, adoption or surrogacy offered 1 year after start date
• 5 days paid yearly to volunteer (through Sage Foundation)
• $5,250 tuition reimbursement per calendar year starting 6 months after hire date
• Sage Wellness Rewards Program ($600 wellness credit and $360 fitness reimbursement annually)
• Library of on demand career development options and ongoing training offerings

Dig deeper about who we are:

• Who is Sage: https://www.sage.com/en-us/company/about-sage/
• Life at Sage: https://www.sage.com/en-us/company/careers/
• Our Values & Behaviors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=vt5JXf-Gwno&feature=youtu.be
• How we make a difference: https://www.sage.com/en-us/company/sage-foundation/
• Sage Business Cloud - SaaS for Every Business: https://www.sage.com/en-us/products/

Global Partners Alliances & PS

United States

Atlanta;Austin

Hybrid

Working at Sage means you’re supporting millions of small and medium sized businesses globally with technology to work faster and smarter. We leverage the future of AI, meaning business owners spend less time doing routine tasks, like entering invoices and generating reports, and more time pursuing their ambitions.

Our colleagues are the best of the best. Because to achieve extraordinary outcomes, we need extraordinary teams. This means infusing Sage with people who knock down barriers, continuously innovate, and want to experience their potential.

Learn more about working at Sage: sage.com/en-us/company/careers/working-at-sage/

Watch a video about our culture: youtube.com/watch?v=h1-vs3zIpnc

We celebrate individuality and welcome you to join us if you embrace all backgrounds, identities, beliefs, and ways of working. If you need support applying, reach out at [e-mail] .

Learn more about DEI at Sage: sage.com/en-us/company/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/

Director/Senior Director, Fintech Business Development

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

Sage is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities.

In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at Sage will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. Sage does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.